Will was thinking about how good life was at that point.
He had a beautiful girlfriend, whom in with he was deeply in love with, a best friend who would literally travel to different countries to find him and was as close to his brother that the world would allow. He smiled at the memory of their childhood squabbles. He had the rangers, a group that he fit in perfectly with. He had his ever faithful horse Tug who was always on the alert for his beloved master.
And Halt. Will had Halt. Over the years the man had become even more than a father to him, if that possible. Halt's grim demeanor was as welcoming as the rain in a drought to Will's coming home.
Will sighed contently as he thought of how without his family he now had the perfect one. He couldn't stop a grin from spreading across his face as he turned the last bend to face his cozy little cabin. On the front porch were Halt and Alyss, talking to each other. They looked up when he dropped down from Tug.
Alyss smiled as she ran up to him and covered him in hugs and planted kiss upon his lips. He swung her around, laughing with her.
Halt's welcome was somewhat less cuddly. He simply hid a smile and gruffly asked him if he had gotten the mess with the robbers cleaned up.
Will laughed and said that it was. He then asked if Halt had drunken all of his coffee while he was away. Halt stated that the cabin was getting frightingly low before he got there.
Will laughed and followed Halt in before he could drink up the last of his coffee supply.
Pauline was already waiting inside with a pot brewing. To Will's surprise, so was Horace and Cassandra. Jenny and Gilan were cooking in the kitchen, and turned at his arrival. Everybody simultaneously smiled at him and yelled surprise and happy birthday.
Will smiled back at his family. Later, as they were all departing he sighed. Halt heard him and queried to it. Will gathered Alyss in his arms and kissed her, He turned back to Halt.
"I was thinking that moments like these are what make everything else ok. this is why we are Rangers."